Pokemon's reign as an outstandingly popular game series continues, with the series picking up new acknowledgment for its accomplishments. According to a new report, 300 million copies of the game series have sold worldwide since the series premiered back in 1996, making it the second best-selling videogame series ever.

The sales figure is extremely impressive and takes into account not just the core Pokemon titles, but a great deal of the offshoot games as well. The number would be even higher if it included the downloads of the mobile hit Pokemon GO. While Pokemon GO sees an average of 65 million players in-game every month, its downloads aren't included in the count since it's not under the Nintendo umbrella. However, Nintendo did include a whopping 76 games for this sales total, including games like Pokken Tournament for the Wii U and Switch and Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon for the 3DS.

The Pokemon series hasn't ever slowed down a great deal, but it's particularly seen a number of popular releases within the last few years. In addition to brand-new games like Pokemon X & Y that brought new innovations to the series, it's also had major re-releases of classics like Pokemon Red & Blue for the 3DS that were added to the system in honor of the series' 20th anniversary. The overwhelmingly popular Pokemon Sun and Moon sold over 15 million copies, and the recent release of Ultra Sun and Moon will only add to those numbers. Fans are also eagerly awaiting the release of a yet untitled Pokemon game for the Switch, and given the console's success thus far, it should bolster the series' numbers even further.

Pokemon shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, and series fans have been particularly swept up with nostalgia from the series' anniversary celebrations and most recent Pokemon movie. Pokemon is likely to continue for years - if not decades - to come, following in the footsteps of Nintendo's long-standing Mario and The Legend of Zelda series.

Source: Famitsu